Film

Post navigation

Join us for KLRUQ Night At The Movies where you’ll get to take a look at the sea, sitcoms, suitors, and stardom. Movies featuring science and the sea, Carl Reiner, and two full length movies feature Nicholas Cage and old-time classic Humphrey Bogart.

Science Goes to the Movies is a new monthly series, co-hosted by Faith Salie and Dr. Heather Berlin, that looks at the science in contemporary motion pictures. In this episode, watch Salie and Berlin discuss the science in the short film, “In The Heart Of The Sea, White Whales And Conservation” Saturday at 7 pm.

This week on On Story, Carl Reiner discusses working with comedy giants Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore on the influential sitcom, The Dick Van Dyke Show at 7:30 pm Saturday.

An Italian-American widow (Cher), engaged to a reticent suitor, falls in love with his brother (Nicolas Cage) in the film, “Moonstruck” Saturday at 8 pm.

Flashbacks at a funeral reveal how a Madrid nightclub dancer was propelled to instant stardom and eventual misfortune on Barefoot Contessa, this Saturday at 9:45 pm.

As the nations prepare for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, KLRU is taking the time to recognize the 1972 massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics with a new documentary, Munich ’72 and Beyond.

Forty-three years ago on Sept. 5, terrorists took 11 Olympic athletes hostage at the Munich Olympics, also know as Germany’s “Happy Games,” which resulted in the massacre of all 11 Israeli athletes and one German policeman. The “Munich Massacre” quickly became a historical turning point for the Olympics, terrorism and an international audience tuned into the first international broadcast of the games.

Munich ’72 and Beyond covers chilling detail of the tragedy, its aftermath and its relevance. New evidence and never-before-seen photographs will be presented and the continuous struggle for public remembrance will be explained.

Before the release of the film, Munich ’72 and Beyond had caught the attention of The New York Times, NPR and individuals from around the world.

This week PBS Election 2016 initiative and The Washington Post released, Postcards from the Great Divide, a series of nine documentaries examining the deeply partisan split among the American electorate.

On July 11, the first five Postcards launched simultaneously on PBS’ Election 2016 website and on The Washington Post’s political vertical The Fix. Later this summer, the following four documentaries will launch and all nine Postcards will broadcast on PBS World Channel. Watch online now

Each Postcards takes place in a different American city to help provide a greater understanding of how changing demographics and political self-sorting will continue to have a profound effect on American politics for years to come.

According to the Political Postcards website, each documentary brings a specific political issue to life, and provides an in-depth look at a specific demographic or partisan environment. Black voters in Florida hesitating to vote; urban and rural Minnesota residents distancing themselves based on political views; Wisconsin ex-legislators ruing the intense ideological splits that have turned the once congenial state into a partisan battleground – stories like these come alive in the hands of a roster of talented documentary filmmakers.

Postcards from the Great Divide is brought to you by the award-winning team of Louis Alvarez, Andrew Kolker, and Paul Stekler, who have been responsible for some of the most respected political documentaries of the past twenty years. They are two-time Peabody Award and three-time DuPont-Columbia Award winning creators of such films as Vote for Me: Politics in America, Getting Back to Abnormal, and People Like Us.

Funding comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Latino Public Broadcasting. Midnight Films and the Center for New American Media will produce.

To The Contrary, a PBS show dedicated to discussing issues from diverse perspectives, will hold their first annual film festival. Winners will have their documentaries broadcasted on national television.

First launched in 1992, To The Contrary has given a space for women to discuss issues impacting themselves, children and their diverse communities. Almost 25 years later, they are still committed to this mission and through this film festival, will work to achieve it in a new way.

If you are a first-time documentarian who completed a program in 2015 which highlights the struggles of women, girls or diverse communities, consider applying to this feeless contest. Winners’ documentaries will air on To The Contrary, which airs on 91% of PBS stations nationwide, on Canadian television and Voice of America internationally.The five categories include:

Current event documentaries that highlight issues in the United States

Current event documentaries that highlight issues globally

Documentaries chronicling the history of a woman’s movement from any era (can be profiles of influential women)

Documentaries about the changing cultural attitudes on gender from a woman’s perspective

Undergraduate or graduate student documentaries that fall into any of the above categories

Submissions opened on March 14 and will close May 15. Winners will be announced July 29.

This week, Night At The Movies will explore works that highlight the struggle for equality in America. On Variety, we will hear from actors about their newest projects, including actresses from Suffragette and Carol. Then, the writer of Philadelphia, a story about a man with AIDS who was fired for his condition, discusses the impact of his screenplay. After that, Glory will tell the story of an all-black regiment during the Civil War. To end the night, we’ll take a broader look at the black experience before, during, and after the Civil War.

On Story Watch Philadelphia: A Look Back at 7:30 p.m.
Ron Nyswaner recounts the social impact of his screenplay Philadelphia, a bold film released during a delicate time in history. Followed by Oliver Kember’s Puzzled, about a young boy whose only chance at survival on the playground is to outsmart the other children.

Looking Over Jordan: African Americans And The Warat 10:05 p.m.
This documentary chronicles the black experience in the South before, during and after the war. It features interviews with Civil War scholars, historical re-enactments, and primary readings. Among many topics, the documentary covers the marked rise of slavery between 1790 and 1860, the role of religion and music in the slave narrative, the influx of freed black slaves into the Union army, heroics at the Battle of Nashville in December 1864, both Confiscation Acts, and the creation of the Bureau of Freedman, Refugees and Abandoned Land to aid freed slaves in the early Reconstruction era.

The 60s are coming alive again with this week’s Night At The Movies! The creator of Mad Men will analyze various aspects of the show and its protagonist, Don Draper. Then, The Right Stuff will put you alongside the first U.S. astronauts during the height of the space race. But first, we’ll start the night with conversations with artists involved in making some of 2015’s best movies.

Mad Men creator, Matthew Weiner, dissects the culture, identity, and status quo of the show, and the psychology behind its beloved antihero, Don Draper. Followed by Faraday Okoro’s short film, Full Windsor, about a young boy’s quest to preserve a meaningful piece of his past.

This week, Night At The Movies is out of this world! We start off with a variety of actors from shows like Jane the Virgin and Orange is the New Black. Then, screenwriters John August and Ashley Miller will analyze Alien and play the short film, Delicacy. After discussing Alien in depth, we will watch the director’s cut of this classic sci-fi movie. Finally, learn more about one of the movie’s stars, Harry Dean Stanton by watching the documentary, Harry Dean Stanton – Crossing Mulholland.

An intimate conversation between some of the greatest actors working today. Featuring Claire Danes (Homeland) with Don Cheadle (House of Lies), Matt LeBlanc (Episodes) with Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), Clive Owen (The Knick) with Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife), Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder) with Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) with Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black).

An iconic example of its genre, Alien’s tension, pacing, and craftsmanship are deconstructed by veteran screenwriters John August and Ashley Miller. Accompanied by Jason Mann and Frieda Luk’s mystical short film, Delicacy, following a culinary connoisseur and his loyal chef as they dangerously navigate into the unknown with hopes to obtain a rare treat.

A favorite of directors, critics, colleagues, and audiences, actor Harry Dean Stanton has carved his name into the cultural consciousness of cinematic arts with dozens of roles in films ranging from Cool Hand Luke and Alien to Paris, Texas and The Green Mile. This documentary traces Stanton’s story from his birth in a small Kentucky town to his rise as a noted character actor. The program also takes time to look at Stanton’s other passion – music.

We’ve got a political Night At The Movies for a political year! The night opens up with Jenelle Riley speaking one-on-one with actors about their work. Then, House of Cards creator and The West Wing writer debate politically-driven narratives and all the dynamics they create. Following that is The Manchurian Candidate, a political thriller set during the Korean War. Finally, we end the night with a documentary about African American kung fu artists and their role in film and society.

On Story The Left And Write: Politically Driven Narratives at 7:30 p.m.
Beau Willimon (creator House of Cards) and Eli Attie (writer The West Wing) debate politically-driven narratives, power struggles, and dramatizing the truths and fictions that comprise ideologically-charged stories. Accompanied by Topher Field’s short film, The Hustle, offering a glimpse inside a swindler’s artful technique and deception.

Black Kungfu Experienceat 10:07 p.m.
The Black Kungfu Experience introduces kungfu’s African-American pioneers, men who challenged convention and overturned preconceived notions while mastering the ancient art.The four martial artists profiled include Ron Van Clief, an ex-Marine and Vietnam veteran who starred in more than 40 kungfu films.Their compelling stories illustrate how kungfu began as – and remains – a unique crucible of the black experience.

Gary Cooper is the star of this week’s Q Night at the Movies with a doc about the actor’s life at 7 and the feature film Meet John Doe at 8.

Hollywood Idols Gary Cooper: The Face Of A Hero 7 pm
Known for his personification of the Western Hero, it was Montana-born Gary Cooper’s horse-riding skills that first brought him bit parts in movies – and he never lost his love of the great American outdoors. Though he rarely played a villain and was an adept comedian, Cooper is best remembered for the strong, silent heroes he portrayed. With his lanky, country-boy looks and shy manner, he created a unique screen presence, though his real life was one of sophisticated elegance. He received three Academy Award nominations and two Academy Awards for his resume of more than 100 films.

Meet John Doe at 8 pm
Fired reporter Ann Mitchel (Barbara Stanwyck)l prints a fake letter from unemployed “John Doe,” who threatens suicide in protest of social ills. The paper is forced to rehire Ann and hires John Willoughby (Gary Cooper) to impersonate “Doe.” Ann and her bosses cynically milk the story, until the made-up “John Doe” philosophy starts a whole political movement.

A new short film from director Deborah S. Esquenazi highlights Bruce Jackson’s visits to 1960s “prison farms” in Texas. Jackson, a renowned folklorist, documentarian and photographer, was one of few documentarians to have received unprecedented access to the southern prison farms, which were modeled after the American slave plantation and occupied lands that plantations stood on before the Civil War. Jackson studied black convict work songs and folk culture, highlighting the parallels between slave plantations and these now-vanished prison farms.

WAKE*UP, DEAD MEN: A Retrospective of Bruce Jackson’s Prison Farm Photography, 1965-1975, coming to KLRU on Oct. 1, showcases Jackson’s photography tracing the roots of the prison farm into today’s massive prison system and industrial prison complexes. The film will be available online through March 2016.

Photo courtesy Deb Esquenazi

Deborah S. Esquenazi is an Austin-based documentary film and radio producer, instructor, and video artist. She was a Sundance Documentary Film Fellow at the Sundance Festival in 2014, and Sundance Creative Producing Fellow in 2015. She is currently working on a documentary about the San Antonio Four, four women who were convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls but were later released from prison and are still fighting for full exoneration today. Visit Esquenazi’s website for details on this upcoming project and her other work.